Reyes to DL; Baxter Up

Just got the official word: Jose Reyes is headed to the DL with his mild hamstring strain. I applaud the move as part of the team’s justifiable caution with injuries. It is a shame that hasn’t helped prevent more of them, but it probably is the difference between getting a mostly healthy Reyes in 2011 and 36 games of Reyes back in 2009.

As for Mike Baxter, consider me intrigued. I’ve been mentioning him on the LoHud Mets Blog Twitter account (@lohudmets), and he is an interesting combination of power and patience. I’m eager to see what kind of defender he is, but with so many question marks in the team’s 2012 outfield, it is worth seeing what he can do.

The hope here is that Lucas Duda plays plenty of first base, and Baxter plays a bushel of right field. We already know whether Lucas Duda should be an everyday RF, don’t we?

As for the 2012 Mets outfield options, here’s the list:

Jason Bay: not clearly a MLB-caliber hitter at any position, below-average glove

Angel Pagan: a down year defensively, terrible year offensively

Lucas Duda: a glove that maybe plays in LF, a bat okay for the position

Fernando Martinez: Between injuries right now, still not producing a ton at Triple-A for second year in a row

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery

Jason Pridie: Filler.

Nick Evans: See Duda, only right-handed.

In other words, Baxter is worth a shot, and not just because he displayed flashes of brilliance in the San Diego system before the Mets plucked him from waivers earlier this year.

Howard Megdal is the Lead Writer for the LoHud Mets Blog and Writer At Large for Capital New York. He covers baseball, basketball, and soccer for these and numerous other publications. His new book, "Wilpon's Folly," is available as an e-book at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Follow the LoHud Mets Blog on Twitter @lohudmets. Follow Howard on Twitter @HowardMegdal.